Boxers and mixed martial artists took to Twitter to comment on the recent victory of the new World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Jeff Horn over Manny Pacquiao at “Battle of Brisbane” in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Among them is retired professional boxer Lennox Lewis, 51.
Jeff Horn vs Manny Pacquiao
“This is what’s wrong with boxing,” Lewis tweeted. “Horn was very game but I’m hard pressed to see how he could have won that fight by any stretch!”
Lewis won 42 of his 44 fights from 1989 to 2003. A three-time world heavyweight champion, he is still the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed title.
Another boxer who commented on the “Battle of Brisbane” result was undefeated Cuban professional boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux, 36, who has a record of 17 wins and 0 loss. In a tweet, he said Pacquiao won the fight but Horn deserved nothing but praise.
Three Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters also wrote their “Battle of Brisbane” comments on Twitter. For Justin Wren, 30, and Mark Diakese, 24, Pacquiao was robbed.
Diakese simply tweeted that Pacquiao has “been robbed.” The former currently competing in the lightweight division and holds a record of 12 wins and 0 loss.
In Wren’s tweet, he said he loved seeing a new star be born in Horn but felt Pacquiao was robbed. The UFC fighter with a record of 13 wins and 2 losses also praised Pacquiao because he was “incredibly gracious in controversial defeat.”
As for Cris Cyborg, 31, she did not directly mention whose side she was on. But in her tweet, she simply said that “Battle of Brisbane” proved that “styles make fights.”
As an MMA fighter, Cyborg has a record of 17 wins and 1 loss. Her kickboxing record is 2 wins and 1 loss.
Brisbane’s sporting heritage
Brisbane has long established itself as a premier powerhouse in Australian sports, defined by iconic venues and legendary club franchises. The city’s modern sporting identity was famously catalyzed by hosting the historic 1982 Commonwealth Games at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, a massive milestone that put Brisbane firmly on the international map.
In the National Rugby League (NRL), the powerhouse Brisbane Broncos have historically dominated since their 1988 inception. Playing out of the iconic Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium), the club secured six premiership titles between 1992 and 2006 under master coach Wayne Bennett, permanently turning the city into a rugby league heartland.
Elite multi-sport success is deeply woven into Brisbane’s DNA. At the Gabba, the Brisbane Lions created Australian Rules football history by capturing three consecutive AFL premierships from 2001 to 2003, a feat rarely matched. Meanwhile, on the soccer pitch, Brisbane Roar captivated the nation by setting an incredible, all-time Australian professional sporting record with a 36-game unbeaten streak, culminating in three A-League championships between 2011 and 2014.
Rounding out this legacy, the Brisbane Bullets earned basketball glory with National Basketball League (NBL) championships in 1985, 1987, and 2007, comfortably cementing Brisbane’s reputation as an exceptionally versatile, elite sporting capital.
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